Chapter 110: The Might of a Priest; Divine Blood of Black Buddha |
Although his subordinates reported that the Adjudication Court was conducting a large-scale operation within the city, they were unable to ascertain the specific target.
Upon discovering that it was Pang Hui, his expression grew even more colorful. Despite being the Deputy Minister of Supervision, this guy maintained close ties with the Adjudication Court and had always been excluded from the core circle of the Security Bureau.
"How truly lively. Even the Minister of Supervision has arrived." Su Chen looked at that Big Beard.
The heads of the three departments were on the same level as Chief Inquisitors. However, there were only three of them, whereas the Adjudication Court possessed eight, even excluding the Chief Inquisitor.
"Minister, you must absolutely save me!" Pang Hui cried out once more.
"Vicious villain!" Wei Yinshuo's eyes turned cold as he rebuked furiously once again. Without seeing him make any movements whatsoever, the head of Pang Hui, who was kneeling on the ground, abruptly exploded.
He had already figured out Xia Hanshi's objective: it was precisely to force him into striking personally, thereby shouldering a portion of the responsibility.
If he allowed Pang Hui to maliciously implicate others at will, the final reckoning would still fall onto his own head.
No wonder someone had inexplicably notified him that the Pang family was in trouble.
"Could it be because of that Su Chen? A portion of the troubles surrounding him will be transferred onto Su Chen, so he's unwilling to continue using his original style of conduct..."
"Wei Yinshuo!" Wang Zhanpeng yelled sharply. He could faintly guess what crime Pang Hui had committed, but he still had to display the appropriate attitude.
Wei Yinshuo recovered his wits and looked toward Xia Hanshi. As expected, the latter had no intention of taking out the Elder's Order. This left him with no choice but to bite the bullet and respond: "This is an order from the Elder Council! The Pang family colluded with the Evil God Cults!"
Just as expected... Wang Zhanpeng thought in his heart, though he continued to say coldly: "An order from the Elder Council? Where is the evidence?"
"Xia Hanshi!" Wei Yinshuo ground his teeth. Xia Hanshi still didn't move.
"Enough!" It wasn't until a cold shout faintly rang by their ears, originating from none of the people present.
Only then did Xia Hanshi act as if he had just awakened from a dream, taking out the Elder's Order.
Wang Zhanpeng was slightly astonished. Weren't these two at odds with each other? Why did it seem as if Xia Hanshi was faintly letting Wei Yinshuo take the lead?
"Since it is an order from the Elder Council, I have nothing to say." Wang Zhanpeng was very straightforward, turning around to leave. All he wanted was for the other party to display the Elder's Order under the watchful eyes of the public.
"What excellent means..." Su Chen watched the entire process unfold.
Ever since that Wang Zhanpeng appeared, Old Xia hadn't spoken a single word. Furthermore, Pang Hui had been slain by Wei Yinshuo's own hands. The hostilities from the other party were largely directed at Wei Yinshuo.
Even though this was a mission spearheaded by Old Xia, the impact on him wasn't actually that significant.
"Since his means are this excellent, why is Old Xia's reputation still so terrible?" he mumbled secretly. Yet, he also heard Bu Siqi mumbling: "Why has Teacher become so sluggish in handling matters? If it were in the past, we'd be packing up the troops right now."
Su Chen involuntarily blanked for a moment.
"Junior Brother, you wait here first. I'll go down and see if there are any fish that slipped through the net." Seemingly finally unable to endure it any longer, Bu Siqi patted Su Chen's shoulder.
Su Chen turned back and was startled. He only saw that Bu Siqi's pupils had turned red, and two sharp fangs had already extended past his lips.
"Don't mind it, it's just a professional trait..." Bu Siqi waved his hand. He was already unable to suppress his thirst for fresh blood.
"Mm... I'll go down and take a look as well," Su Chen said.
The curtain of night was heavy, and warning sirens blared unceasingly nearby.
"Right." On the way downstairs, Su Chen suddenly remembered a matter. "Senior Brother, do you know about Mystic Energy Crystals?"
"I do." Bu Siqi responded very casually. "They are high-purity mental crystallized bodies manufactured by the Engraving Department. They can assist certain mental professions in unleashing abilities exceeding their own tier."
"One costs around 1.5 million to 2 million gold, and you have to reserve them in advance."
That expensive? Su Chen couldn't help but freeze momentarily.
The moment they arrived near the building, Bu Siqi vanished from sight.
Lifting his eyes to look, Su Chen couldn't help but sigh with emotion. The Pang family... despite passing down its lineage in Yingfeng for a few hundred years, they were simply wiped out just like that.
"The cleanup should be handled by our Supervision Guards. Everyone has worked hard all night; it is time for you to return."
"Return? Are you joking? Since this is our Adjudication Court's mission, we naturally must see it through from start to finish!"
In the distance, two groups of people were confronting each other. One belonged to the Adjudication Court, while the other belonged to the Supervision Guards. They seemed to be fighting over the right to clean up the scene.
The Supervision Guards appeared aggressive but didn't dare cross the line.
"It appears they're fighting over cleaning up the scene, but in reality, they're carving up the Pang family's interests..." Holding a metal helmet, Yang Yan arrived by Su Chen's side. "The Pang family's assets aren't small, involving the sale of certain potions. The Supervision Guards aren't willing to let us grab everything."
Su Chen was deeply thoughtful. What they were fighting over was probably not just carving up the Pang family's interests, but also the law enforcement authority within the city.
Inferring the macro from the micro, through this scene playing out before his eyes, he could witness the open strife and veiled struggles between the Adjudication Court and the other three departments.
"When the confiscation is complete, there will be a share of the spoils for you," Yang Yan added. "It's divided based on the rank of the operation's executors. You are a Core Seed, which in theory is on the same level as a Director. The benefits reaped will not be small."
He inevitably felt envious.
No wonder Old Xia called him here; Su Chen finally understood. He asked again: "Right, have you discovered Pang Xingwen's corpse?"
"Pang Xingwen? The one who just participated in the evaluation? I don't think we've found him," Yang Yan thought for a moment before shaking his head.
"He escaped?" Su Chen couldn't help but be astonished.
Yang Yan shook his head: "I don't know. The building is being scanned, and we haven't found any secret passages yet."
"Did many people escape?" Su Chen inquired.
Yang Yan explained: "Basically none. The life auras of high-tier professionals are too potent; they were locked onto from the very beginning. Only those at the second or third tier had a chance to escape."
"I understand." Su Chen thought for a moment. "Big Brother Yang, please trouble yourself to relay a message to my Teacher or Senior Brother Bu later. There's nothing for me to do here either, so I'll return to the Adjudication Court first."
"Alright, understood." Yang Yan didn't pay it much mind, watching Su Chen leave before turning back to enter the building.
"To think he actually managed to escape?" Under the cover of the night sky, Su Chen darted behind a few corners, melding into an expanse of shadows, and even arrived inside a certain residential building.
Sizing up his surroundings, he first temporarily utilized his shoes to conceal his figure before transforming into the 'Priest of Black Buddha'.
Almost instantly, he perceived that blurry attractive force. Perhaps because the distance was relatively closer, this perception felt much clearer. It was currently moving rapidly.
"Looking at the reverse position, it happened to cross exactly through the Pang family building..." Su Chen's expression shifted. "It's still early. Let's see where they're heading."
.........
"Y-y-you guys are Believers of the Evil Gods!"
In a certain basement devoid of the light of day, only a few small lights flickered with a dim glow.
Huddled in the corner of the room, Pang Xingwen looked at the two figures standing before him with terror.
A day ago, he was a follower of a Core Seed, an Inner Court Seed with hopes of becoming a Chief Inquisitor in the future.
In just a single day, the heavens and earth had overturned.
During his escape, he had already realized why the Pang family was eradicated: because his father had colluded with the Evil God Cults!
"No need to fear us so much. We were good friends with your father." The person lacking facial features spoke, his voice low and deep.
"Your father was a man who understood the times. We hope that you are also a man who understands the times." The believer of the Faceless Ghost spoke with a gentle tone.
"My father must have been forced by you guys!" Pang Xingwen roared furiously.
"Imbecile! Had your father not accepted our assistance, you wouldn't even have been born!" The believer of Black Buddha rebuked sharply.
"On account of your father's face, we are giving you a choice: join us, otherwise there is only the path of death!"
Hearing these words bursting with killing intent, Pang Xingwen, whose emotions were nearing collapse, abruptly calmed down. His expression was dazed. "I... I... I..."
"Why were we suddenly discovered?" Prompted by gods or demons, he asked this question.
"Perhaps it was because of... Su Chen." The Faceless Ghost cast a glance at the believer of Black Buddha beside him. "Because of certain matters, we had to make a move against Su Chen. Yet the abrupt invitation might have alerted Xia Hanshi."
"Su Chen?" Pang Xingwen's pupils contracted, his dazed expression gradually morphing into venomous resentment. "Him again! Him again!"
"If not for him, I would still be a young master of the Pang family!"
He grew up consistently receiving Yingfeng's education. His detestation for the Evil God Cults practically sunk into his bones; he possessed a natural resistance toward joining the Evil God Cults.
He needed to find a reason to fall from grace. This resentment toward Su Chen became the pillar supporting his defection to the Evil God Cults.
It wasn't that I was willing to join the Evil God Cults, it was because I had no other path to walk!
Pang Xingwen gnashed his teeth: "I can defect to you guys, but you must let me kill him with my own hands!"
"Rest assured, there will be opportunities."
The two believers exchanged a glance, offering their promise. "Right now, we need your..."
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Before he could finish speaking, the believer of the Faceless Ghost abruptly turned his head, bewildered and uncertain: "There is a faint trace of mental energy scouting this place."
......
"This is the place..." Following that peculiar attractive force, Su Chen arrived near a construction site.
Under the curtain of night, work at the construction site had halted. The surrounding buildings were also only partially constructed, with materials piled up everywhere.
Hiding within the shadows, with the aid of the third-tier Shadow Evasion Wind Boots' amplifications, it was extremely difficult for the vast majority of surveillance cameras in Yingfeng to capture his figure.
"Mm... Should I report this, or should I strike directly..."
Su Chen pondered. The professional quality of Yingfeng's personnel far exceeded that of Nanfeng's. If he were to report them, he estimated that he'd only be able to watch from afar, and it would be impossible for him to get any opportunities to fish in troubled waters.
"I am truly lacking in Evil God Power..." Using his mental energy to attempt to probe, his brows furrowed slightly: "There are three people. Two of them possess reasonably strong life magnetic fields; they are likely third-tier. It's a bit tricky..."
"But among them, there is bound to be a believer of Black Buddha. And I am a Priest of Black Buddha... Plus, with my current strength, running away definitely wouldn't be a problem."
Thinking of this point, Su Chen hesitated no longer. He strode straight forward, arrived in front of a temporarily erected corrugated iron shack, and knocked on the door.
"It's already so late. There are still people here?"
The two believers of the Evil Gods raised their vigilance. The believer of the Faceless Ghost was skilled in mental perception, and he voiced: "It should be a second-tier professional, but his life magnetic field feels very bizarre."
"A second-tier professional?" The believer of Black Buddha grew even more bewildered. If it was a pursuer, it was impossible to be second-tier. If it was a worker, it was even more impossible to be second-tier.
"Pang Xingwen, go open the door." He looked at the only normal person present. Both of them were fanatical believers, the Evil God traits on their bodies were too obvious.
Although they could casually slaughter a second-tier professional with ease, it was currently a special time. If they could muddle their way through this, muddling through was the best option.
Pang Xingwen shrank further into the corner, but the four surfaces around him were walls; he had no retreat path left. His throat bobbed, and he could only forcefully prop up his body and walk to the door.
He was still lingering in apprehension. Even when opening the door, he was still contemplating whether his recent agreement with these two people had been the right choice.
Yet upon thinking of Su Chen, the resentment buried deep in his heart gave him a reason once more.
"As long as I can..." Before Pang Xingwen's thoughts could settle, his unfocused gaze condensed into pinpoints, as he cried out in shock: "Su... Su Chen!"
Never in his wildest dreams did he expect that the enemy he had just been harboring resentment against would appear before his eyes so abruptly.
"Y-y-y-you..." Looking at that familiar face, he actually found himself speechless for a moment.
"Su Chen?"
The hearts of the two believers hidden beside the door shook simultaneously. The believer of Black Buddha even surged with a sense of excitement.
The divine oracle was crystal clear: this person was exceedingly important and absolutely had to be offered as a sacrifice to the Holy God at any cost.
With the eradication of the Pang family, he originally thought they had lost their chance, yet he hadn't expected the other party to actually appear right before his eyes like this.
"Brother Pang, won't you invite me in?" Su Chen looked at a dull-faced Pang Xingwen, speaking with a gentle tone.
Pang Xingwen still had no reaction whatsoever. Yet Su Chen walked straight inside, bumping the other party to the side.
Only after this bump did Pang Xingwen finally react. The pale color on his face rapidly flushed with blood. With a bang, he slammed the door shut, glaring venomously at Su Chen: "You actually dare to show yourself here!"
"With the way you speak... those who don't know the situation might think I was the one who colluded with the Evil God Cults." Su Chen involuntarily chuckled, his gaze falling onto the figure garbed in black robes to his right. Erased facial features... this seems to be the trait of a Faceless Ghost believer?
To think the Pang family was actually involved with two Evil Gods simultaneously.
For a moment, Su Chen was also somewhat amazed. His understanding of Evil Gods couldn't be considered extensive, but he did know that even if the internal factions of these Evil Gods weren't exactly locked in a tit-for-tat confrontation, they could still be considered as incompatible as fire and water.
Since everyone worshipped different gods, cooperating was rather troublesome.
To cooperate, there needed to be a unified mindset. When encountering problems, who would issue the commands?
If a certain Evil God believer served as the leader, wouldn't that imply that your god is more formidable than mine? That would cause immense damage to their faith.
Hearing these words, the confidence in Pang Xingwen's heart subconsciously deflated. But he rapidly reacted, sneering coldly: "Since that is the case, your daring to run over here is simply courting death."
"Then don't you wonder why I dared to come?" The color drained from Pang Xingwen's face as he subconsciously snapped his head back to glance outside, having already conjured up images of heavy encirclements in his mind.
But very quickly, Pang Xingwen gnashed his teeth: "Even if there's an encirclement outside, we can still kill you first. Having you accompany me in death makes my death worthwhile!"
"We are not considered important figures. If there truly was an encirclement, they would just strike directly. What reason would they have to send you here?" The believer of Black Buddha remained very calm.
As long as these guys aren't dealing with topics related to their faith, they're actually quite smart... Su Chen was rather astonished, yet laughed out loud: "Truly worthy of being a believer of my Lord, very perceptive."
"My Lord?" The believer of Black Buddha blanked momentarily. Staring at Su Chen, suspicion bubbled up: "What do you mean?"
"What I mean is..." As Su Chen's words fell, his hair abruptly receded inch by inch. Black patterns sprawled from his cheeks to his entire body, tracing out a vertical slit eye pattern atop his head, and his entire body radiated a dark, profound, and abyssal aura.
"A Priest!" The believer of Black Buddha's expression changed drastically. Under Pang Xingwen's flabbergasted gaze, he unhesitatingly knelt to the ground, crying out with unparalleled reverence: "Your humble servant greets the spokesperson of my Lord!"
Upon reaching the level of a Priest, one already possessed the qualifications to be addressed as the spokesperson of a god.
"This guy is actually a Priest of Black Buddha?"
The believer of the Faceless Ghost to the side was equally shocked. Considering this was the case, why was Black Buddha still trying to locate him at any cost?
Or could it be that Black Buddha's people had already converted him?
To actually be able to disguise himself so perfectly, and even manage to become a Core Seed of the Adjudication Court... exactly how did he do it?
He harbored many doubts in his heart, but he didn't suspect the other party's identity, because the fanatical believer beside him had already knelt. This was sufficient to prove the other party's identity.
During the advancement to Priest, it was inevitable to establish preliminary contact with the enshrined deity, obtaining various methods for communication and sacrificial offerings. This was irrefutable.
Even for them, the maximum extent to which they could disguise themselves was the fanatical believer stage; they could not disguise themselves as Priests.
"This identity is actually this effective?" Su Chen was also astonished in his heart. He had originally prepared a set of excuses, but the moment his identity was revealed, the other party simply knelt directly.
He didn't even ask how he became a Priest.
Pang Xingwen was completely baffled. Right now, he even harbored the urge to run outside and expose Su Chen's identity to the entirety of Yingfeng.
A Priest!
A Priest of an Evil God actually managed to swagger into the Adjudication Court just like this, and even became a Core Seed! How utterly, ridiculously laughable!
And that Xia Hanshi actually had the absolute nerve to come and eradicate their family!
"What is the situation like on Yingfeng's side?" Seeing the situation, Su Chen took the opportunity to inquire.
"Reporting to Priest, the Pang family has just been eradicated. Our previous efforts have already gone down the drain," the believer of Black Buddha raised his head to explain.
"What were your preparations and original plans in Yingfeng?" Su Chen asked very directly. Were it not for the fact that within the Evil God system, faith served as a natural identification card, asking this question would have already drawn suspicion.
"Wait..." The believer of the Faceless Ghost beside them frowned: "Exactly what are you..."
"Shut up!" The believer of Black Buddha shot a cold glare at the believer of the Faceless Ghost, rebuking sharply: "Are you also worthy of speaking to the spokesperson of my Lord?"
Su Chen: "......"
This identity is a bit too useful.
When the believer of Black Buddha looked at Su Chen again, his frenzy returned. "We propped up the Pang family to utilize Pang Hui's status as cover for our operations circulating within Yingfeng, thereby influencing the lower-tier cities."
"Our most recent plan was to cut off the information channels of the 'Ten Southern Border Cities'."
"Why?"
"Over there, a massive blood sacrifice involving multiple Evil Gods is taking place." The believer of Black Buddha was truly devout, holding nothing back.
"Exactly what is going on with this Priest? It feels like he's detached from Black Buddha's internal faction." Listening to the barrage of questions from the other party, the Faceless Ghost pondered in his heart.
A massive blood sacrifice? Ten cities? Su Chen's expression shifted slightly, his gaze faintly sweeping toward the Faceless Ghost believer beside them.
"Kill the Faceless Ghost believer beside you."
A strand of mental fluctuation tunneled into the ears of the believer of Black Buddha. Without any hesitation, the Black Buddha believer—who was already kneeling on the ground—abruptly sprung up into action. The black vertical eye atop his head flashed with an enchanting light, and a streak of black light beam shot straight toward the Faceless Ghost believer alongside him.
"What are you doing!" The Faceless Ghost believer was greatly alarmed, but the attack arrived so abruptly that before he could even react, his chest was pierced straight through by the black light beam. Its momentum didn't falter in the slightest, blasting a massive hole through the ceiling.
But as a third-tier professional regardless, this injury still wasn't enough to prove fatal.
"We are collaborators!" He roared furiously, intending to retreat explosively. He entertained no thoughts of resisting; Priests possessed the ability to communicate with deities, and the multitude of their methods wasn't something he could contend against.
However, the Black Buddha believer's subsequent assault followed closely behind. Chanting incantations, his left arm was enveloped in a layer of black mist, and the thick, robust arm actually rapidly shriveled away.
Meanwhile, his right arm abruptly expanded several folds, its swing even blasting out sonic booms of breaking air!
The Faceless Ghost intended to resist, boiling mental fluctuations surging out. But against these Evil God believers, they possessed extraordinarily potent natural resistance against mental attacks.
Puchi!
The arm forcefully bored straight into his chest. The Faceless Ghost believer unleashed an aggrieved wail of indignation, his chest completely skewered, his heart utterly crushed. His entire being crumpled limply to the floor, powerless.
The Black Buddha believer knelt on the ground once again: "The mission has been completed."
"This really is extremely useful." As his expression shifted, Su Chen inquired about several more matters, such as the loss of the Saint Word Stones and the whereabouts of the spatial crystals.
However, these weren't matters that a Black Buddha believer, who had been operating purely within Yingfeng City to cultivate influence over the years, could possess knowledge of.
Beside them, Pang Xingwen stood like a wooden chicken, his eyes lifeless. Too many things had happened tonight. Although it seemed like his person was physically here, in truth, his mind had departed long ago.
"What's inside there?" Su Chen looked toward the two metal suitcases placed in the corner. Their surfaces were engraved with intricate, densely packed patterns that severed a portion of the sensory abilities of the 'Priest of Black Buddha'.
The Black Buddha believer responded truthfully: "Those are the two Evil God Artifacts that Pang Hui originally enshrined. One belongs to our Holy Lord, and the other belongs to the Faceless Ghost."
"There is also another item that was just delivered a few days ago, which we were preparing to have Pang Hui deliver into the Adjudication Court."
"Oh? What item? Delivered to whom?" Su Chen's interest was piqued.
"I do not know what the item specifically is. It was to be delivered to Wei Yinshuo..." The Black Buddha believer before him expressed that he was merely a cog in the machine handling affairs. His primary assignments were monitoring and relaying missions to Pang Hui.
"Wei Yinshuo is also one of our people?" Su Chen pressed.
"To my knowledge, he is not," the Black Buddha believer shook his head. "Corrupting him has been our long-standing goal."
"Mm..." Deep in thought, Su Chen looked at the Black Buddha believer before him, stating indifferently:
"I have roughly grasped the situation. The Pang family has been eradicated, and the resources we invested over many years have gone up in flames. You will bear the primary responsibility for this."
"Considering your many years of contributions, I permit you to return to the embrace of our Holy Lord."
The depths of the Black Buddha believer's eyes trembled. What surfaced wasn't terror, but rather a sense of honor and fanatical zeal; his eyes even welled up with hot tears: "Many thanks, Lord Priest!"
His eyes widened, and just like that, he lost his breath of life, collapsing stiffly onto the ground.
Su Chen originally wanted to keep him alive to see if he could reel in more Black Buddha believers or even other people from the Evil God Cults.
But upon second thought, this guy appeared extremely fanatical toward him purely because of Black Buddha.
If swapped to another Priest, the other party would be equally fanatical. If he accidentally blurted out his identity, it would bring about unneeded troubles. It was better to just silence him permanently.
Bang!
The sound of the corpse smashing onto the floorboards rang like a boom of thunder in Pang Xingwen's ears. His entire body shuddered, as if his soul was forcibly pulled back into his body. He looked at the corpse on the ground with disbelief.
He just... died just like that?
This was a third-tier professional! With a single sentence, he just committed suicide?
What kind of utter mental illnesses were these Evil God believers suffering from!
Pang Xingwen looked at Su Chen with a trembling body, forcefully squeezing out a smile: "Great... Great Priest, I have already agreed..."
Before his words were even finished, Su Chen's gaze swept over him indifferently. Pang Xingwen's eyes rolled backward, and he similarly lost his breath of life, lying stiff on the ground.
Using his telekinesis, he swept up the three corpses and stuffed all of them into his storage space.
He then rolled over the two metal suitcases in the corner and popped them open respectively. The attractive force Su Chen could sense instantly sharpened significantly.
There was a total of three items.
It went without saying for the familiar Black Buddha Artifact. But the other one looked somewhat strange, seemingly fashioned out of a skull, its surface carved with five faces lacking facial features.
"Faceless Ghost... It is said this Evil God is adept at disguises. Believers can disguise themselves as a person's closest and most beloved kin. They take pleasure in baring their fangs at the moment their victim feels the most joyous and blissful, taking delight in their victim's expression of utter despair upon being slain by their closest kin."
"They can even disguise themselves as the believers of other Evil Gods. Therefore, back then, Zhou Xian claimed I was a Faceless Ghost believer."
Because of Zhou Xian's words, he had specifically researched information related to this Evil God.
The powers within the two Evil God Artifacts were extracted. Su Chen looked at his panel in surprise. The two types of Evil God Power didn't merge; they were arranged separately, and their names had undergone a change.
【Low-Tier Black Buddha Power】
【Low-Tier Faceless Ghost Power】
"Evil God Powers do not fuse with each other. My previous speculation was likely correct: different Evil God Powers should be capable of inducing different professional reactions."
"Black Buddha advances a profession, so what about the Faceless Ghost?"
Su Chen couldn't help but wonder, but he wasn't in a hurry to test it out.
Instead, he looked at the final object, which resembled a cobblestone. It was scarlet red, and the flow of liquids within it could faintly be perceived, mingled with specks of black light.
The attractive force radiating from it was different from the Evil God Artifacts; it was very peculiar.
Su Chen poked it gingerly. The texture was warm and moist, unlike a stone at all—
【Black Buddha Divine Egg — Consumable: Manufactured using the Divine Blood of Black Buddha. Capable of extending one's lifespan, yet enveloped within it lies the seed of a deity.】
(End of this chapter)
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